Faithful Fate
by dimthelumos
Summary: Dinner with the Malfoys misinterpreted and lingering thoughts in the deep recesses of Hermione's mind surface on a long overdue topic: children. Draco and Hermione were well into their fourth year of marriage, but doubt lies dormant in her heart.


Hello again! I'm deeply sorry I'm so late with this! ): I caught some type of cold (still getting over it) and schools been a pain ahaha~

anywho, this was meant to be very short (a drabble kinda) and straightforward without too much depth, but I got too into it and now... :D also, please ignore any spelling/grammatical errors! My cold medicine is making me slightly drowsy and I can't get my mind to read this two more times hahaha!

Please do enjoy and reviews, good or constructive, are very much welcomed!

**I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER, JUST USING THE CHARACTERS FOR MY CREATIVE OUTLET.**

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><p>"Hermione, I'm sorry, okay? Aren't you overreacting just a smidge?" Draco followed Hermione up the stairs, two at a time to keep up with her. Her shoulders were squared and she clutched her handbag rather tightly. She turned her head to him and glared. He held up his hands, backing up a bit. He knew when he crossed the line whenever she was upset with him and he learned the hard way to not push her further on edge.<p>

"Right, all my fault. Completely and utterly my fault." She turned down the hall and he sighed, following her with comfortable distance. He didn't know where to begin to apologize for whatever he did. She had a tendency to dissect every word he said and whatever he said must have hit the mark on her patience. He had enough of the silence and took two strides to grab her elbow.

"Hermione, please. I sincerely apologize and whatever I said—" The look she gave him… not good, not good at all. He inhaled deeply, "You want to talk when we're in the room, yeah?" She yanked her elbow away from him and continued her pace to their room. He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. "Do I have to sleep in the living room again?" He asked after her. A quick slam and latch of the door was more than he expected. His patience was already wearing thin. He did not need her silent treatment on top of his confusion. He took off his blazer, tossed it against the wall, and made his way to their room. He stood in front of the door, contemplating whether or not to barge in and demand answers.

Frankly, he had enough of this charade. It was the same after every dinner with his parents. Granted, his mother warmed up to Hermione fairly well. His father tolerated her, which was more than enough to satisfy Draco. It was a pleasant evening and nothing seemed off to him, until towards the end of dinner. Hermione pardoned herself quickly and asked to leave for 'personal reasons'. It was beyond Draco of why she wanted to leave so soon, and before pudding which was unusual for Hermione. He wondered if she was feeling ill and quickly accompanied her to their home. The moment they flooed back home, she immediately pushed Draco away from her and made haste to leave. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. He knew she was angry and he wanted to know why. She pushed his hands away and turned to him. Her eyes were bright, her lips curled in, and she was breathing heavily. He gently placed his hand against her cheek, but she leaned away from his touch. She turned to leave once again. Before she walked through the door, she pulled her heels off her feet and threw them at Draco. He ducked away quickly, the habit embedded in his nerves. He picked up her heels and made haste after her, muttering a slew of curses at his wake.

Draco still didn't get the answers he wanted so finally, he sighed and leaned against the door. He shoved his hands in his pockets and bumped the back of head against it. He closed his eyes and faintly, very faintly, he could hear Hermione moving about their room, undressing with a huff and a soft sniffle. He waited until his breathing evened out.

"Hermione, darling?" He heard the sheets on the bed rustle a bit.

"Why are you upset?"

"I-I'm not upset…"

"May I come in?"

"No, you may not! Sleep in the living room tonight, I do not want to be anywhere near you, understand!"

Draco chuckled to himself and gently turned the knob. He knew she never locked the door and liked for him to believe so whenever they argued; it was unlike her to leave things unfinished between them. He glanced at her dress tossed carelessly on the floor. He gently placed her heels beside her dress and looked at the bed. Hermione had her back to him, buried underneath the sheets. He noticed with each intake of breath, her body quivered and a faint exhale of breath meant she was crying. His lungs twisted in a knot. He unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his shirt. Kicking his slacks and tossing his shirt aside, he cautiously walked to their bed.

"Don't, Malfoy!" He smirked at the unfamiliar use of his last name. She only used his last name when she was cross, but it had been awhile since she spat at him. Her tone wavered slightly whenever she was yelling at him about whatever he did to upset her last.

He shrugged and climbed into the bed beside her, quickly hugging her before she left the bed. She struggled against him, kicking and pushing. "Get—away! Leave! I don't want you—" With a gentle pull, he turned her body to face him. She turned her head and avoided eye contact. Her cheeks were pink and wet from her tears. Her brows were knitted, as though in deep thought. She always seemed to be in deep thought during their quarrels. He ever so gently placed his hand on her damp cheek, turning her to him. Her eyes were not meeting his and he would not have that.

"Granger." Hermione quickly looked at him intensely. He smiled and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "Please love, tell me what I did to make you upset," he spoke softly. He moved his hand from her cheek to the small of her bare back, gently running his hand along to calm her. He kissed her forehead and moved closer to her. She inhaled a shaky breath and exhaled, the tension on her shoulders melting away. She loved it very much whenever he did that. He knew where all the tension was on her body, but he didn't quite know how well he relieved her with a simple touch. She rubbed her eyes and sniffled, nuzzling against his chest.

"You said you wanted children to your mother, Draco. You know I wanted to wait until we were fully prepared to even _think_ about having children. We're too busy with our work, our schedules clash terribly… we barely see each other in the day." Draco hummed, but still didn't quite understand. She sighed against his chest and pulled back a bit to look at him.

"What I'm saying is, your mum might've had the ridiculous notion I didn't want children and she was so… so _different_ after you two talked in the kitchen. She hardly looked at me at the table!"

"That's rubbish. My mother—"

"Draco, please. I know she's your mother, but the solemn look she was giving you halfway through the first course was hard to miss. Even your father was looking at me oddly!"

"My father always looks at you oddly."

Hermione jabbed a finger on Draco's side. He inhaled sharply and feigned tragic, excruciating pain. The smallest of smiles came and left her lips. She kissed him lightly and pulled back before he had any funny ideas. He rolled his eyes and bumped his nose against hers. She bit her bottom lip and sniffled, avoiding his eyes.

"Is that why you're upset? My father's odd looks getting to you?" She laughed lightly and held one of his hands in both of hers. She rubbed and tapped her fingers against his knuckles in a rhythmic motion. He tried looking at her eyes, searching for the dull pain in her heart. Her tears had ceased, but the sadness in her eyes hadn't wavered.

"No, no it's not that… I'm frightened. I'm scared our lives will be just this. Breakfast and dinner is when we see each other, good mornings and good nights our only greetings. The thought of children of our own with the way things are now won't be healthy for them or us. Then we eventually drift apart and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Your dreadful way of thinking is remarkably at par with my father's." She glared at him before biting his finger quickly. He groaned in pain and threw his head back, sniffling lightly. She rolled on top of him and hugged his neck, trailing kisses from his cheek to his nose. Their bodies pressed delightfully and Draco wrapped his arm loosely around Hermione's waist. She looked at him with a weary smile as she ran her fingers against his shoulders. He smiled too and placed his hand at the back of her head, losing his fingers in her curly hair. Her hair always piqued his fancy. It looked rough to the eyes, but unbelievably soft to the touch.

"I'm serious, Draco," she whispered, resting her head against his chest.

"Alright, all jokes aside. You needn't worry. You're being ridiculous for overthinking—thinking in particular, of our future. What did I tell you about dissecting every little thing, love? Not everything needs a plan. Yes, I do want children and I'm very well aware you want to wait and I'm perfectly content with what makes you comfortable, but Hermione… _why_ are you planning? I vaguely remember you trusting me, trusting _us_ for that matter, with whatever should happen, happen."

Hermione inhaled deeply. She truly loved Draco's uncanny knack of settling the dull, but incessant doubts in her heart involving their marriage. They were well into their fourth year together, but to Hermione, it felt like more. They touched on the topic of children very vaguely and concluded, in her mind at least, they would wait. She could tell it was difficult for Draco to cave into her request to wait, but what could he honestly say to his wife, willing to carry his child for nine months?

The wistful glints in his eyes broke her heart whenever children popped up in casual conversations between him and his mates. Blaise and Greg, his closest mates, already had spouses of their own and beautiful children. Blaise was married to Parvati Patil. Surprised didn't quite explain Draco's reaction to the news. Even after Hogwarts, he still thought the Patil twins were, in short, grating. Hermione, on the other hand, was positively thrilled for her fellow Gryffindor housemate. Marriage between Slytherin and Gryffindor proved to be very much possible, though she could relate to their clash of egos every now and then. They had four children, two boys and girls. Blaise and Parvati were a force to be reckoned with for their inhumanly gorgeous and bright children.

Greg was married to Lavender Brown. Draco nearly gagged at Greg's special eye for the abundance of pure infuriation. Hermione couldn't help, but agree to his outlook on Lavender, but she bit back her aversion for her and congratulated them nonetheless. They had two girls and expected another child. Lavender was seven months along and, to Hermione's misfortune, boasted of finally giving birth to a boy. Lavender took every chance she could to rub her good fortune to Hermione's face, but she sold her too short. Her patience, quick wit, and passive-aggressive comments shot down any hopes of Lavender to outshine her. Draco cared for Greg and found it upon himself to be happy for him, even tolerated his wife for good measure. Their children weren't what Draco expected either. The girls loved Uncle Draco and behaved like little angels, as Hermione referred. He did, however, dote on them whenever he had the chance. He never did admit to it, but the sly smirk he taught the girls was unmistakably his dastardly doing.

Hermione sighed deeply and hugged him tightly. She didn't have an answer as to why she was constantly planning. She was always in control in her life, but never had the opportunity to 'leave things to fate'. It was utter rubbish, really… deep down though, Hermione believed in fate, to an extent, and the risk was obviously worth it to her if it meant continuing her life with Draco.

He inhaled and ran his knuckles against her spine. Most of the tension lies in her back and, almost instantly, her body relaxed. She exhaled pleasantly and kissed his chest.

"Mmm thank you…"

Draco chuckled lightly and kissed the top of her head. "Anything for you," he muttered against her hair.

Hermione smiled. She was slowly fading in and out of consciousness and she knew his magnificently skilled hands were lulling her into blissful slumber.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?" His tone held a bit of surprise. He thought she had already fallen asleep.

"I'm sorry about before. Whirling my shoes at you and nearly banishing you from our bedroom and all. I was just frustrated at myself for not trusting me a little more. I've never left things to fate. As you know, fate was never in my favor. The thought of… of not knowing what will happen next terrifies me out of my skin. I don't want to make any mistakes that will ultimately damage our marriage."

Draco hugged Hermione and moved her to lie beside him, looking intently in her eyes. Her heart skipped two beats and her lungs expanded. She didn't remember inhaling air, but the sensation drove her mad. He caressed her cheek gently and she nuzzled into his touch.

"Hermione Malfoy, the inhumane expectations you set for yourself is baffling. You are in the wrong species to not make mistakes, love. Our marriage, our first meeting, was built on a mistake, if you recall? You were leaving Scrivenshaft's with my bottle of ink and I yours, because the employer mixed up our bottles. I doubt you recall, but I allowed you to step ahead of me, what with all those books and supplies you were carrying, and the same person checked us out at the same time. Poor girl couldn't keep up with the high demand for her attention and the long line, so she accidentally gave you my bottle and you immediately stormed off. I was almost certain I needed to apparate to bloody well keep up with you!"

Hermione grinned; touched he remembered their first meeting vividly. "But that wasn't our mistake."

"Ah, but a mistake no less." Draco smirked, knowing he made his point. It didn't matter what Hermione said to him, he would not back down and let her self-pity gnaw at her sanity. It hurt dearly the glazed look in her eyes when she let her mind wander, unfiltered, and let the depths of her thoughts consume her. He always admired her bright intellect, but it held a burden for her deep inner thoughts.

Ever so reluctantly, she admitted defeat and heaved a sigh. He grinned and gave her three short kisses for his sweet victory. He scarcely won any of their arguments, though she ended it with a quick slam of the door or exited the room in a huff. Nevertheless, he was happy and relieved he managed to get some sense into her. Hermione only saw the details of the picture and Draco the bigger picture. He saw the world as it was and Hermione wanted to see more. She would one day admit it; she needed him to remind her the world was round and it wasn't going to change.

"Feeling better?" Draco whispered. She hadn't said much and he wondered if she had fallen asleep. Her eyes were closed and her breathing slow. He smiled softly and gently, ever so gently, moved her body closer to him. He hugged her and kissed her forehead, murmuring sweet nothings. She stirred a bit, nuzzling against his chest.

"Yes…"

"Mmm? Yes what, Hermione?"

"Yes, I want children…"

"Oh? Are you suggesting at this moment?" He teased. He knew she was exhausted and wouldn't torture her. She hadn't slept a wink for weeks.

"Caelum…" she muttered, yawning softly. He was worried she heard the pangs of his heart. He felt as though his heart stopped for a moment, but the rapid beating was doing a number on his breathing.

Hermione had indeed considered names for their first child, and a son no less! Draco grinned. His heart was panging and his lungs were twisting in a frenzy. He was terribly surprised she hadn't woken up. He relaxed and sighed, slumber creeping into his conscious.

"And a beautiful name it is. Sweet dreams, love."

There was much to discuss in the morning.

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><p>Well? Good or room for improvement? (8<p>

_A couple things to elaborate on_: most of the dramione fics I've read only go in depth with Hermione's friends and hardly touch base with Draco's. So, I decided to explain life after Hogwarts for them and played around with potential OTPs and whatnot ahaha :D what else, what else...

Ah, Caelum! Sweet, sweet Caelum~ I've been planning on starting a novella (soon I can't say) and I was wondering if I should add a little boy in their lives (: I didn't want an overly unique name or a dreadfully common name and I wanted to stick to the Malfoy tradition of constellation-based names so yeah.

Thank you for reading my awful rambling, you're very kind!


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